Car system



Nov. 27, 1923. 1,475,699

H. G. HiLLMAN CAR SYSTEM Filed July 28 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 z WW , ATTO/VEV Nov. 27 1923.

H. G. IHILLMAN GAR SYSTEM Filed July 28 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 14% j mm B) 1 Patented Nov, 27, 1923,.

STATES PATENT OFFICE CAR SYSTEM.

Application filed July 28, 1920. Serial No. 399,458.

To all whom it may concern:

citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invent ed certain new and useful Improvements in Car Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to car systems and more particularly to systems for regulating or controlling the movement of electric elevators or other cars and also to the lighting of the same. The main object of the invention is to provide certain improvements which not only render the operation safe, but also decrease the cost of wiring. Further and more specific objects, features and advantages will more clearly appear from the detail description given below taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating part of an elevator system embody ing my improvements in one form as applied to an electric elevator= Fig. 2 is a detail diagram illustrating a modification, and Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating certain of the improvements applied to an elevator operated by hydraulic'power or the like.

Referring to Fig. 1, 4 represents an elevator car adapted to be raised and lowered by a cable 5 and a cooperating electric motor in any well-known or suitable manner. In the elevator car is acontroller 6, which when swung in one direction energizes the control circuit 7, 8 to move the elevator in one direction and when. the controller 6 is moved in another direction it causes energization of the controller circuit 8, 9 to move the elevator in the opposite direction. When the controller 6 is in the middle or 0E position, the control circuit is deenergized and the elevator brought to a stop in a manner well-understood by those skilled in the art. 10, 11 and 12 represent elevator or hatch doors at various landings and 13, 14 and 15 represent switches normally-held open by the doors 10, 11 and 12 respectively when the doors are in closed position. lVhen-any door is opened, as for example the door 11 in Fig. 1, its switch 14 is closed by a spring as illustrated in Fig. 1. .The switches 13, 14 and 15 are arranged in par allel in a safety circuit 16, 17 connected to a suitable source of electrical energy by the double switch 18.

Arranged in the conductor 8 of the control circuit is a safety switch 19 adapted to be pulled up and opened by a solenoid or magnet 20 when the same is energized. Arranged on the same iron frame as the solenoid 20 is a solenoid or magnetic coil 'or winding 21 connected in shunt around the contacts of switch 19 and having in series therewith a relatively high resistance 22. In series in circuit 16, 17 is a normally closed emergency switch 23 located in the car 4. Also located in the car 1 is a threshold light 25 connected in series in the circuit 16 and 17 and in shunt to the solenoid 20.

From the above it will be seen that when any of the elevator or hatch doors 10, 11 or 12 is opened, its corresponding switch 13, 14 and 15 is closed thereby closing the circuit 16, 17 so as to cause the solenoid or magnet 20 to be energized and the switch 19 to be opened or rendered inoperative whereby the control circuit through conductor 8 is rendered inoperative so that should it be attempted to move the elevator in either direction under such conditions, by throwing the controller 6 in either direction, the elevator will not be moved. While a shunt circuit is provided around. the contacts of switch 19 through the magnet coil 21 and the resistance 22, the resistance of these is so high that insufficient current will flow to operate the devices which cause the movement of the elevator. Should the door he closed with the controller thrown to one side or the other, the elevator would still not move although the closing of the door opens the circuit 16, 17 and deenergizes the solenoid 20. The deenergization of the solenoid 20 does not, however, permit the switch 19 to close because the controller being away from its off or neutral position, a small current is permitted to flow through the magnet winding 21 sufficient to hold up the core of solenoid 20 and hold the switch 19 open until such time as the controller is moved back to neutral or ofl position. It will, therefore, be seen that I have provided means acting responsive to the opening of a car door for rendering the control circuit inoperative to move the elevator while the door is open and unless and until the controller 6 is first moved to its off or neutral position thereby making it impossible for the operator, while the door is open, to move the controller to start the elevator or car, or to cause the starting thereof by merely closing the door.

It will also be seen that whena-ny door is opened and the safety circuit 16, 17 thereby closed, that the threshold light 25 will be energized at the same time since this is con nected in series in thecircuit 16, 17 and in shunt to the magnet 20 so that the light is automatically lighted upon the opening of the door, and by connecting the light 25 in this manner no additional switching means are required.

Referring to Fig. 2 I there show a modification in which instead of providing the magnet coil 21 as shown in Fig. 1, I provide a solenoid 26 likewise connected in shunt to the contacts of switch 19 and provided with a magnetic core 27 and a non magnetio plunger 28 connected thereto, so that when a door is opened and the cont-roller thrown to energize the control circuit 8 before the door is closed, the solenoid 26 will be energized causing it to raise the plunger 28 and hold up the switch 19 so as to maintain the control circuit inoperative to move the car until the controller 6 has been first moved to neutral or off position .after the door has been closed.

Referring to Fig. 3 I there illustrate how certain of my improvements may be applied to a hydraulic elevator system. In this arrangement the car 4 with the hatch doors 10, 11 and 12 and the corresponding switches 13, 1e and 15 operated thereby, are provided as before. Instead of providing a switch 19 for rendering the electric control circuit inoperative, as a safety device, I provide a latch 30 adapted to engage the valve wheel controlling the hydraulic operation of the car 4. This latch is adapted to be operated by a solenoid or magnet 31 connected in a safety circuit 32, 33 so that when the solenoid is energized, the latch 30 is thrown into locking engagement with the usual form of valve wheel to'lock the same and prevent the elevator or car from being started and when the solenoid 31 is deenergized its core is released under the action of the spring and the latch 30 moved from locking engagement with the valve wheel. The circuit 32, 33 is connected to a suitable source of electrical energy through a double switch 3%. The car 4 is provided with a normally closed emergency switch 35 and a threshold light 36. In this modification the switch 35 and light 36 are connected in series withone another and also in series in the safety circuit 32, 33. Upon the opening of a door, as the door 11 in Fig. 3, the safety circuit 32, 33 is closed by the switch 14 thereby energizing the solenoid 31 and causing the locking lever 30 to lock the valve wheel of the hydraulic arrangement so that the elevator 4 cannot be moved. At the same time the threshold light 36 is energized this being in series in the same circuit. The same action will take place when either of the doors 10 or 11 is opened. Should, for some reason or other, it be impossible to close any of the doors and it is desired to operate the elevator in such an emergency, the emergency switch 35 (or 23) may be operated to open the safety circuit and deenergize the magnet 31 (or 20) to permit the elevator to be operated as before. In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the threshold light 36 is shown in series with the safety magnet 31 instead of in shunt as illustrated in Fig. 1. Therefore, when I speak of the threshold light being in circuit with the safety magnet, I mean either in shunt circuit therewith or in series circuit therewith since in either case the light will be energized at the proper time and no additional switching devices are required therefor and considerable saving in wiring is effected. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 3 even less wiring is required.

The operation of the system will be clear from the above. Generally speaking the motor can only be actuated when all of the doors are in closed position. In the forms of invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the motor control circuit 7, 8. 9, may be closed through switch 19 when all of the doors are closed and the controller is in its neutral position. When any door is open the safety circuit 16, 17, is closed to open switch19 and thus prevent the energization of the motor control circuit. If the safety circuit 16, 17, is opened by closing the doors while the controller is away from its neutral position, switch 19 will still be held inoperative because of the fact that enough current will flow through the shunt path around the contacts of switch 19, which shunt path includes a coil such as 21 in Fig. 1, to hold switch 19 open. Accordingly the motor control circuit can only be actuated to move the car when all of the doors are closed and the controller is then moved away from its neutral position.

While I have illustrated my improvements in connection with the operation of an elevator car, it will be understood that the same is quite applicable in the operation of variou other car systems where it is desirable to prevent the movement of the car when a door of any kind is open. Likewise many other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention particularly in its broader aspects. Hence I desire to cover all forms coming within the Spirit of any one or more of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

.l. in an elevator system the combination of a motor control circuit for the elevator, a safety magnet switch in said control circuit controlled by opening an elevator door to render said control circuit inoperative to move the elevator, and a circuit in shunt to said safety magnet switch for independently holding the safety magnet switch open when the control circuit is closed.

2. The combination of a motor control circuit for a car, a safety switch in said control circuit, a magnet for opening said switch responsive to the opening of a door and a magnet coil for holding said switch open. should the control circuit be closed before the door is closed.

3. The combination of a motor control circuit for a car, a safety switch in the control circuit, operation of which switch renders the control circuit inoperative to move the car, a magnet for so operating said switch responsive to the opening of a door, and a magnet coil in shuntto said switch for hOlding said switch inoperative should the door he closed with the controlled circuit closed.

at. The combination of a motor control circuit for a car, a safety switch in the controlv circuit, operation of which switch renders the control circuit inoperative to move the car, a magnet for so operating said switch, a normally open switch in series with said magnet and closed by the opening of a door to energize sald magnet, and a circuit energized by the control circuit for independently holding said safety switch in inoperative position.

5. The combination of a controller for a car, a control circuit energization of which is effected by movement of the controller away from its neutral position, a safety switch for the control circuit, operation of which switch renders the control circuit inoperative to move the car, a magnet for opcrating said switch responsive to the open.- ing of a door, and a coil energized by move ment of the controller away from its neutral position for holding said switch in'opera-tive upon the closing, of the door.

6. The combination of a controller for a car, a motor control circuit energization of which is controlled by the controller, a safety switch in the control circuit, operation of which switch renders the control circuit inoperative to move the car, a magnet for operating said switch, a safety circuit including said magnet, a normally open switch in said safety circuit in series with said magnet and closed by the opening of a door, and a magnet coil energized by movement of said controller away from its off position for holding said first switch inoperative.

7. The combination of a car,-a controller for controlling the movement of the same, a safety device actuated to prevent movement of the car when the car door is open, a magnet" operating said device, said mag not being energized responsive to the opening of the car door, and means for preventing release of said safety device when a previously open door is closed if the controller is away from its neutral position.

8. The combination of a motor control circuit for a car, a safety switch in said circuit, a safety circuit, a magnet in said safety circuit adapted to open said switch when energized, a normally open switch in said safety circuit, closed by the opening of a door, and means constituting a high resistance shunt path for said control circuit around said safety switch, adapted to hold said safety switch open if a previously open door should be closed while said control circuit is closed.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York, and State of New York this 24th day of July, A. D. 1920.

HENRY G. HILLMAN. 

